I admit I like the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. I like the architecture, the collections, the atmosphere, the audio presentations, the photography gallery, the gardens as well as the view onto downtown L.A.
My teenage son, on the other hand, prefers Venice Beach and its accompanying street show: 5 skateboard shops, the street artists and performers, the flower-power vibe and the skate park set up right on the beach where the ocean breeze permanently cools it. Then again, I can only hope he wasn’t as keen on the weed smell filling the air…
When I suggested we should spend a day at the Getty, he sighed deeply and, looking me sadly in the eyes, asked: “And how long do you think I’m gonna be able to keep it up?” Whirling my hands, I reassured him that the place was unbelievable and that he would most definitely like it. Anyway, by the time he realized what was going on, we’d already left. At first, he seemed to really enjoy the monorail that took us up from the parking lot, the pamphlet lady who welcomed us with a wide smile on her face and especially the urinal sensors, which he actually enjoyed so much that he couldn’t help setting off a couple more than he was supposed to while laughing up his sleeve.
His enthusiasm faded, however, once we passed on from the lit medieval manuscripts to the sections of the Renaissance painting, the Baroque sculpture and the Impressionists. He started to have a real hard time taking it and kept walking around like a wind-up mummy. Lucky he had his iPhone on him. I was squinting at the details of some canvas by Gabriel Metsu, one of my all-time favourite painters, and all he could do was play Candy-Crush with his skate cap turned backwards. In the end, when I tried to squeeze out of him at least one word of appreciation for all that architecture, the gardens and the exhibits, he gave me the same sad and silent look as he had before.
Back home, he kept explaining to his brother the advantage of him being the first of them to visit the States: “You’re lucky I was already there. Now you can ask me beforehand what’s worth doing and what’s not. For instance, if Voicu wants you to go with him to the Getty, just say no. Trust me!”
Talk about culture!